My life outside of school contributed to my academic success tremendously. My mother and father own a business and as the owners daughter I was always expected to set a standard for the other employees and be a role model. I was brought up to be a very hard worker and to never give up on anything, no matter how difficult or how much work it required. As the owners daughter I had to constantly act professional and set the bar for the other employees. If I did something out of line, the other girls would mimic me and I would essentially be at fault. I had to constantly be on my toes and sometimes I had to be reminded what was wrong and what as right. My parents influenced me tremendously by showing me what a hard worker is and how much work it requires to be a hard worker. They showed me that working hard in a business also means working hard at school. By working hard with them at the bakery (the business my parents own) it taught me to be a very hard worker in school. Not only did it help me academically but it also helped me socially. Socially I was always the leader, never the follower. I never did something because someone else was doing it, I did something because I wanted to and did not care what other people thought of me. As far as picking what to study, I have to be brutally honest and say it was more difficult with my family behind me. Being the last one of four children my parents expect me to be the business owner of the 34 year old bakery that is very successful. After seeing how they lived with the business I knew that their lifestyle was not something I would be interested in. When I approached my family about what I wanted my future career to be, my father instantly put up a fight. He said he didn't want me going into a career that didn't guarantee me a job and wouldn't have me as financially stable as him and my mother. My mom on the other hand influences me to peruse my career in education. She said that when I get married and have a family I will be very thankful for the way my schedule pans out. She said that I work very well with children and she remembers how happy I was when I interned at the Charter School. She said that teaching is the career that I was always looking for and she is glad I finally found it.